Throughout the year, Universities Australia has advocated energetically and strategically for universities and the local communities they serve by highlighting the loss of opportunity such cuts will cause.

In a plea to policymakers, Professor Gardner urged them: “Do not lock the door of opportunity…end this university funding freeze. And restore our nation’s investment in Australian students and Australia’s future.”

UA also made a strong pitch to business with our Clever Collaborations publication and campaign. In our advocacy, we highlighted that 16,000 companies are already partnering with universities — and these businesses get $4.50 for every dollar they invest in collaborative research. The campaign also gave firms a handy index of who to contact at each university to explore a possible collaboration.

This year, Australia reached an important milestone by attracting half a million international students. The success story of Australian international education — now our nation’s third largest export — was highlighted in UA’s #1inHalfaMillion campaign.

This initiative showcases the strong connections that international students forge with Australia, the great experiences they’ve had studying here - and the vast benefits international education has for Australian soft diplomacy and our economy.

In June this year, UA, the Australian Research Council and National Health Medical Research Council launched the 2018 Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research. It was a major moment following years of work and will help to strengthen our already strong system of research integrity.

Parliament rose in December before a vote on a Government-proposed new tax on student numbers. UA expressed strong concerns about the principle underlying this proposal – making universities pay for the routine tasks of Government administration – and urged the Senate to reject the imposition of a levy on universities for every student they enrol with a student loan.

This year, it was also revealed that 11 humanities researchers had their research proposals recommended for Australian Research Council funding through expert review – only to have it vetoed by a decision of the former Education Minister. All Vice-Chancellors issued a strong joint statement from the UA Plenary in October to state categorically that there is no place for political interference in Australian research funding.

Finally, heading into 2019, Universities Australia will continue our newly-launched #UniResearchChangesLives campaign. It features everyday Australians talking about how their lives or the lives of their loved ones have been improved by university research breakthroughs.